A three-year-old boy who once chewed through his own clothes during meltdowns now has a different outlet: a wearable bib covered in fidgets and chewable toys, invented by a Moore woman. Hendrix has autism and a developmental delay disorder, according to his mother, Erica Brown, and high sensory needs that sometimes led to meltdowns or clothes torn apart by chewing.
The bib is called BibBuddy, and it was designed by Kelly Brown, who created prototypes personalized for a handful of children in the area, according to News 9. It is a wearable bib with customizable sensory toys — chews, fidgets and stuffed animals — attached to it, and some versions can be weighted, the station reported. Families who have tried the prototypes describe them as life-changing.
For Hendrix, the design solves two problems at once. “It definitely helps with his little meltdowns and calms hims down,” Erica Brown said, per the station's report. Because the toys attached to the bib are interchangeable and removable, Hendrix no longer loses his favorite toy and becomes upset when it is gone — a frustration his mother said used to set him off further, adding, “He don't lose it and get mad that he don't have it no more.”
A Design Born From Watching Kids Drop Their Toys
Brown did not come up with BibBuddy in a vacuum. She has worked with children on the autism spectrum at the J.D. McCarty Center for about three years, and the same report notes she works with children who have profound disabilities. It was on the job, watching kids frequently drop or throw their sensory toys, that the idea for a wearable, tether-style bib took shape.
Hendrix's father, Devin Watson, is Erica Brown's partner, and Hendrix has benefited from a prototype. Ten-year-old Mia Smith is another: her mother, Crashonda Smith, said Mia uses her BibBuddy at school, at home, in therapy and in the car. The bib has even drawn attention from Mia's peers — her friends have tried to take it and play with it themselves, according to her mother's account.
Funding a Bigger Run — and a Future for Adults, Too
Brown's bib is currently described as patent-pending, and she is now trying to scale up production beyond the handful of personalized prototypes she has built so far. The inventor hopes to raise $20,000 to produce around 500 bibs, with plans to manufacture them in the United States, the station reported.
Brown is not stopping at children. She hopes to eventually develop a similar product for adults with dementia and Alzheimer's, extending the concept to another group that could benefit from a wearable, customizable sensory tool. “My vision is for every child out there and every family that needs a BibBuddy will have a BibBuddy,” Brown said.
To help fund that goal, Brown designed two inclusive coloring books, including one titled “We All Belong,” which she sells on Amazon with proceeds going toward producing more BibBuddies. The books feature children and pets using prosthetics, wheelchairs and sensory tools such as headphones, reflecting the same inclusive approach behind the bib itself.
Outside groups have noted the broader value of sensory tools for kids like Hendrix and Mia. According to a resource from napacenter.org, children with autism, ADHD, developmental delays or sensory processing differences often benefit from these kinds of toys — the same category of tools Brown has built directly into her bib's design.
